VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Norfolk State's Michael DeLoach was selected as the MEAC men's basketball Preseason Player of the Year, the conference announced on Thursday.  The defending MEAC champion Morgan State Bears were also picked to finish first in the conference's preseason poll for the second consecutive year.

Deloach led the MEAC in scoring last season averaging 21.5 points, ranking 15^th in the nation.  He led the Spartans to their first MEAC tournament finals, playing all 40 minutes of the game, and recording 30 points including 12-of-13 free-throws.  Last year Deloach was named to the All-MEAC First Team, the MEAC All-Tournament Team and was a Second Team National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District selection.

Morgan State received 20 first place votes and totaled 476 points to garner the league's top position for the second year in a row.  Led by the conference's back-to-back Coach of the Year Todd Bozeman, the Bears were crowned tournament champions and earned their second straight regular season title last year with a 13-3 MEAC record and 23-12 overall mark.  MSU recorded several notable wins last season including victories over Marshall (72-67), DePaul (79-75), and Maryland (66-65).  The Bears also knocked off the Towson Tigers in their first-ever appearance in ESPNU's BracketBusters. 

Also for the second straight year South Carolina State was predicted to finish second with 388 total points.  The Bulldogs finished the 2008-09 season second in MEAC standings with a 10-6 conference record and 17-14 overall finish.

Norfolk State was predicted to finish third while Hampton was selected to finish fourth.  Bethune-Cookman was picked fifth and North Carolina A&T State have been slated to finish sixth.  Coppin State (7^th), Florida A&M (8^th), Delaware State (9^th), Howard (10^th) and Maryland Eastern Shore (11^th) round out the 2009-10 preseason poll.

Joining Deloach on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are Reggie Holmes (Morgan State), Jason Flager (South Carolina State), Neal Pitt (Maryland Eastern Shore), and Sam Coleman (Coppin State).

The preseason poll and all-conference team selections are voted on by the MEAC's head men's basketball coaches and sports information directors.

The 2009-10 season tips off on Friday, November 13 with eight MEAC men's teams in action.  The conference schedule gets underway on December 5 with five conference games.  Defending champs Morgan State will face off against local foe Coppin State in their conference opener.

The 2010 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips off March 8-13 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Preseason predictions and Preseason All-MEAC Teams listed below.

2009-10 Men's Basketball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
As voted on by the Conference's Head Men's Basketball Coaches and Sports Information Directors

(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)

 

School	Points
1.  Morgan State (20)	476 pts.
2.  South Carolina State	388 pts.
3.  Norfolk State	310 pts.
4.  Hampton (1)	305 pts.
5.  Bethune-Cookman	292 pts.
6.  North Carolina A&T	258 pts.
7.  Coppin State	234 pts.
8.  Florida A&M (1)	154 pts.
9.  Delaware State	134 pts.
10.  Howard	104 pts.
11.  Maryland Eastern Shore	88 pts.

2009-10 Preseason All-MEAC Team

(As voted on by the Conference's Head Coaches

and Sports Information Directors)

First Team

Name	School	POS	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown
Michael Deloach	Norfolk State	G	6-0	175	Sr.	Rocky Mount, N.C.
Reggie Holmes	Morgan State	G	6-4	180	Sr.	Baltimore, Md.
Jason Flagler	South Carolina State	G/F	6-4	185	Sr.	Woodbridge, Va.
Neal Pitt	Maryland Eastern Shore	F	6-6	230	Sr.	Fort Washington, Md.
Sam Coleman	Coppin State	C	6-10	212	Jr.	Baltimore, Md.

Second Team

Name	School	Pos	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown
C.J. Reed	Bethune-Cookman	G	6-3	175	So.	Daytona Beach, Fla.
Vincent Simpson	Hampton	G	6-1	170	Sr.	Philadelphia, Pa.
Michael Harper	Coppin State	G/F	6-4	195	So.	Milwaukee, Wis.
Kevin Thompson	Morgan State	F	6-8	240	So.	Baltimore, Md.
Paul Kirkpatrick	Howard	C	6-9	220	Sr.	Randallstown, Md.